Gresham voters may get to decide whether to tax themselves to complete a youth sports park that volunteers toiled for more than five years to build.

A new study of the proposed 33-acre park pegs construction costs of the city's preferred plan at $22.5 million, assuming a community center that is part of the longer-term blueprint is built later. The City Council will consider asking voters to approve general obligation bonds, costing the owner of a house assessed at $200,000 an estimated $64 a year.

On Tuesday, councilors received an economic analysis of the project by Conventions, Sports & Leisure International, a consultant hired earlier this year to recap progress, assess market conditions and chart a way forward. Councilors agreed the park is critically needed -- no such facility exists in east Multnomah County. But they also agreed that paying for it will be tricky given the city's strained budget and the competing need for more police officers, which may also require asking voters to approve new taxes.

"I think we need to ask voters to pay for public safety, and we need to ask them for a sports park," Mayor Shane Bemis said, though he stressed his first priority is public safety.

First, however, officials may take a poll to gauge public support for such a tax measure.

The city purchased the site at Southeast Hogan and Palmquist roads in 1992 with a sports park in mind. The nonprofit Gresham Youth Sports Alliance has built about 10 percent of the infrastructure using volunteers.

The preferred design would include four artificial-turf soccer fields, four softball/baseball fields, a skate park, picnic areas, horseshoe pits, playgrounds, concession areas, a maintenance facility and a 28,000-square-foot community center.